Tuesday, July 29, 2008

In his Urdu column today Hamid Mir uses a term "liberal fascists" and blames them among other things for considering him as an agent of al Qaeda and the Talibans.

If you can read Urdu, please check out the last paragraph.

[here is my not so literal translation]

The truth is the increasing religious extremism (in Pakistan) is the reaction of the increasing cruelty of the liberal fascists. If the liberal fascists do not stop making unmarked graves then the religious extremists would not refrain from creating anonymous suicide bombers. If we really want to become a free and sovereign nation then we should forthwith stop accepting the billions of dollars offered ostensibly as defense aid, for it is this aid that compels us to bomb our people. And when we bomb our people then we create unmarked graves which gives rise to anonymous suicide bombers. If to please "outsiders" we stop creating unmarked graves then it would not be difficult to create peace in Pakistan.

Reading this I would like to respectfully ask Mr Mir a few questions.

1: Who are these so called Liberal Fascists? Can you name a few? A straight answer with a few names would be appreciated.

2: In this column you mentioned "unmarked graves" repeatedly when you wrote of the infamous Bagram Jail. And then you suddenly switched to Pakistan. In Pakistan the majority of the graves are unmarked. (Only the rich can afford a tombstones.) Can you be more explicit in case of Pakistan?

3: Why your deafening silence over the "suicide bombers" operating in Pakistan who kill and maim fellow Muslims and fellow Pakistanis? Do you consider all those innocent bystanders killed "liberal fascists"?

4: And as mentioned in #2, in this column you described Bagram Jail but abruptly turned your ire towards Pakistan's "liberal fascists". Can you elaborate how they "make" unmarked graves? And how should they stop "making" them?

5: And what exactly is the co-relation between that and the violence against the unarmed civilians by the suicide bombers?

6: And one last question. Elsewhere you have mentioned it a few times that there is no justification for suicide bombings. Also you have admitted that it is a haraam act. Then why are you, in a way, justifying the haraam act here?